


20 Days of Ficmas

by dip_and_pip_trash



Series: Phan One Shots [16]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Death, Elves, Ficmas, Fluff, Love, M/M, Snow, Winter, ill, sick, they're cute af
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-05 07:57:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 14,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16806580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dip_and_pip_trash/pseuds/dip_and_pip_trash
Summary: Collections of drabbles/one shots written throughout December.





	1. Chapter 1

The streets were filled with light and displays. Despite being November, the shops were selling products from tacky to luxurious. Phil wanted all the tacky ones but knew that tack would be mixed with whatever one's Dan wanted. It happened every year. And somehow it worked every year as well.

It was when they walked into Tesco that Phil grinned. Nothing did tacky Christmas stuff like a supermarket. As Dan was choosing things they would actually eat, Phil's eyes (And hands) were gravitating towards anything to do with Christmas. After all, it was the most wonderful time of the year.

Phil followed Dan somewhat blindly around the store as he kept looking around. They didn’t often come into stores to shop. Most of the time they would do it online and have it delivered to their house but it was a nice change to actually see everything in person. They’d had a meeting earlier that day and decided that it would be best to shop in person rather than online while they were going home.

Dan walked to the cereal section, mumbling about how Phil had eaten his cereal yet again. "I'm a growing lad. I need food Dan," Phil laughed out, looking at Dan with a fond look. Dan just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Phil, you're already six feet tall. Get any bigger and you won't even fit inside our bed," He said with a small pout. Phil laughed as he put his hand on Dan's lower back, close to his hip. It was a rare chunk of affection that normally wouldn't be shown but it was a quiet Sunday afternoon and the shop was going to close in half an hour so Phil allowed himself the luxury.

"That would be cool. We could get a custom bed made that is like 10 foot long. We should actually just do that you know- Oh my god," Phil then said excited and started walking over to what he had just seen. "Dan... Advent calendars. They have Haribo ones." It was clear that Phil was excited just by the tone in his voice. Dan also wondered over, a playful look on his face as he watched his boyfriend. It was the same every year. Phil's excitement for Christmas that would start the second the shops started to get ready for the festive occasion.

It was no joke that they were both getting older every year. It was just part of life. With their second tour finished and their Brazil premiere in a weeks time, life was feeling complete. Yes Dan had found that he didn't have much of a purpose when tour finished, he found that his purpose was stood next to him the entire time.

But they were growing, together and individually. Dan had wanted to take his own YouTube channel in a new direction and Phil was testing the waters with his rebrand to show the fans who he really was. Then there was the small addition to their lives that had begun around October.

Their forever home.

Dan hadn't been surprised when Phil had sat down and talked to him about wanting to move out of their apartment and finally into somewhere they could call their own. Somewhere they could adopt a dog, start a family. Somewhere theirs.

"Which are you getting?" Phil asked, breaking Dan from his thoughts. Dan looked around and picked any of them. He didn't really care about what chocolate one he had. He had already bought another one that he was a lot more interested in.

The calendars were set down in the apartment not long after they got home. Phil had offered to cook them their pasta that they were having for dinner and Dan had told him that he wanted to start looking into some houses. It was a big step for them to be taking, one that would require a lot of effort. Moving was hard enough when they moved into their new apartment. He knew that a house would require even more. But he was ready. And he was ready to let people know he was.

So while he heard Phil singing along to newest Muse album while making dinner, Dan looked at all the different houses that were on offer. A place for them and their family to grow and love.

Phil ended up eating his whole advent calender in one sitting but it didn’t matter, Dan rolled his eyes and laughed about how their new house needed a safe for Dan to lock the sugar away.


	2. Chapter 2

"The weather is shit," Dan complain as he walked hand in hand with Phil. It was a cold December night as the two strolled through London. They had been in meetings for a majority of the day and right now all Dan wanted to do was get home and go to bed. He would happily stay there for a thousand years too. As long as Phil was there of course.

"It's not that bad, at least when we get home it'll feel nicer because of the warmth," Phil commented. Dan smiled slightly. There is was again. The carefree and positive attitude that he had fallen in love with. Dan had to admit that it wasn't too bad. He looked down at his and Phil's hand. They were both covered by gloves but still entwined. It was nice to do this. They knew they could get caught. A fan could see them and take pictures but at this point, Dan was sure that no one would react other than with the 'this is brand new information' gif.

Their apartment was nice and warm when Dan walked in, he'd give Phil that. He'd rolled his eyes when Phil told him about an app where they could control their heating anywhere but right now he felt like it was a fucking blessing. Both men shrugged their coats off and placed their shoes neatly by the door. Dan replaced them with his slippers. The ones that he still was upset about Phil going outside in. But he wouldn't let it show. It was Christmas, a time for forgiving.

"Hot chocolate?" Phil asked, his arms wrapping around Dan's waist as Dan checked his phone, his entire face still freezing and Phil's too. Dan found that out when Phil nuzzled into his neck. Normally Dan would have blushed. Now he just instantly moved away from Phil's ice face.

"You're freezing. Don't come anywhere near my neck while you're that cold. But yeah please. Bedroom or lounge?" Dan then asked a laughing Phil who seemed to think for a bit but then made the decision that the lounge was probably the best location for them. That way they could order some dinner and not need to move to eat it. Dan was very particular about not eating in bed and Phil didn't want to upset him by even suggesting it.

The hot drinks were made and within ten minutes, Dan was under a blanket, waiting for Phil to return to him. He scrolled through his phone and saw that not much was happening. A few people had drama he knew he wouldn't be involved in but definitely hoped would still be there to have a read through in the morning. He then made a tweet doing what British people do best... Complaining about the weather. He was just replying to people when Phil walked in and placed the drinks down at the side of him.

Phil then sat down next to Dan who gladly offered Phil half the blanket he was using. It was times like these that Dan loved. Phil focused on the TV while Dan played on his phone. They weren't really doing anything together but they were just there. Being close to each other. A comfortable silence between the two as they relaxed and chilled out after a busy day being around a lot of people. Two introverts able to be themselves.

After they had ordered and eaten dinner, they snuggled down under their blanket and watched some more TV. Dan wasn't really paying much attention to the TV. He was looking over Phil's face and running his hands over the stubble. It was often like this after a long day of meetings. Dan was always extra affectionate after they had been in public all day. It was almost as if he was making up for the lost time that he couldn't look at Phil or cuddle with him. Or press their lips together. So Dan did, it was sleepy and it was slow but it was perfect, nothing fancy needed, just the two of them being there for each other. As the rain battered against the windows and the wind blew, time seemed to stand still and peace was found.


	3. Chapter 3

Phil knew as soon as he woke up that today was going to be a struggle. His nose was runny and his throat was tickling in a way he knew to be a sign that he was starting to get ill. Dan wasn't in bed either, meaning it was either later than usual or Dan just couldn't sleep. Phil used some of his crucial energy to sit up and look at the time on his phone but that only made his head hurt. Headaches were uncommon, especially when he wasn't feeling the best so he knew today should be a day where he took it easy and didn't look at too many screens.

It was a short while later when Phil finally emerged out the bedroom and walked to the kitchen where he soon grabbed himself some water and leaned on the counter, trying to take away the pure crappy feeling that he was experiencing. The water didn’t really help too much other than make his throat hurt more with every swallow. Now was not the time to be getting ill. December had hit and both he and Dan were extremely busy getting things done before Christmas. Sickness at this time of the year was expected. Now was not the time to be getting unwell but Phil knew that now he was, all he could do was try and get better fast.

It was then Phil looked at his breakfast options. There was of course cereal but Phil wasn’t feeling it. So he decided to eat some toast instead. It was then that walked over to him. Dan walked closer to kiss Phil but Phil turned. A brief look of hurt went across Dan’s face but Phil quickly explained. “I’m sick. I don’t want you to get sick too,” Phil said. It was only then he realised how his voice sounded. Dan just smiled and nodded.

“Gramps is sick. Damn. Guess I have to take care of you. Why are you even out of bed?” Dan asked, looking at Phil who smiled sheepishly. Dan always hated when Phil overworked himself and Phil knew that Dan wouldn’t want Phil to be doing a lot of work while he was sick.

“Just getting some food and water and then going to watch Netflix in bed,” Phil said as he picked up the plate. Dan instantly stopped Phil as he walked towards the stairs. Phil looked up in confusion but he knew Dan could read him better than that. Dan knew Phil’s laptop was in their bedroom and that he would most likely do work and emails instead.

“Eat here. We can watch Netflix on the TV. I won’t even sit near you if you don’t want me to get sick. I’ll sit in the chair and you can lounge on the sofa. I’ll do some emails,” Dan suggested. Phil looked at him. There was no point in arguing with him. Dan knew he had already won and just smiled before walking to the chair in their lounge and grabbed his laptop.

Phil sighed in defeat and walked to their sofa, grabbing their ‘pimp’ blanket and curling up on the sofa. He ate a bit of his toast but his appetite just wasn’t there and no matter how much he tried, after a while he just pushed the plate away from him.

He honestly didn’t even realise when he fell asleep but he woke up a few hours later to Dan feeling his forehead. Dan smiled down at him and spoke softly. “You have a fever. Do you want me to make you something to help you.” Dan suggested as he then moved away from Phil. Phil smiled at his boyfriend but shook his head no,

“I'm okay Dan I promise. I just needed a small nap,” Phil said while he stood up, smiling still. He wasn’t really feeling much better but knew that he needed to get some work done today. “I’m gonna start editing the new gaming video,” He then walked to their computer, trying to ignore the worried gaze from Dan. 

“Phil I just felt your head. You still have a fever. You should be resting,” Dan sighed, standing up and walking over to Phil. “Editing can wait. I’d rather the gaming video be a day late than you overworking yourself again,” Dan said, taking Phil by the hands and pulling him towards the sofa. Phil protested at first but then let Dan push him gently onto the sofa. Dan then laid on top of him and cuddled up to him. “Now you can’t escape. Now you have to rest.”

Maybe one day off wouldn’t be too bad.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning had started pretty slow in the Dan and Phil household. They had spent most of the morning in their bedroom. The temperature had dropped in England recently which made getting out of bed pretty difficult. Even more so when Phil had a clingy Dan Howell begging him to stay in bed. 

When Phil did eventually leave his bed, he opened the curtains and gasped. Outside was a blanket of snow all over London and more falling from the sky. The city looked beautiful. Phil smiled in awe and turned to his snoozing boyfriend.

“Dan wake up. It snowed overnight. Look at how pretty London looks. Dan wake up. We need to go outside and take photos or something.” Phil exclaimed excitedly. But Dan just smiled and then turned over to go back to sleep. Phil rolled his eyes before jumping onto the bed and shaking Dan with glee. Dan groaned and tried to push Phil away from him. 

“ Phil okay you win. I'll get out of bed. God, I'm dating an actual man-child,” Dan said fondly as he finally sat up in the bed and actually looked at Phil. “ Did you say it snowed?” He asked while smiling over at Phil who nodded happily. 

“ Yes I did I'm glad you actually listened to me. For once.” Phil mocked with a small chuckle. Dan simply threw a pillow at him in retaliation. 

“ I'm getting bullied by my own boyfriend here. I'm going back to sleep if this is the treatment that I'm going to get from you.” Dan said and then land back down just to prove his point. Phil rolled his eyes once again as he started to make his way out of the bedroom. He'd already waited Way too long without having his morning coffee. 

It was a few hours later when Phil stepped out to their balcony to fully look at the snow. It was still falling from the sky which made Phil even happier than he was before. Dan was also with him, now he was finally out of his cocoon.

While the snow was still falling, Phil decided that now would be a perfect time for him to take a wintery selfie in the snow. He positioned his phone at the perfect angle for a selfie and started to take a few practice shots to play around with the different angles and how he should take his photo. He wasn’t really paying too much attention to what Dan was doing and definitely didn’t see the mischievous glint in Dan’s eye.

“You taking a selfie?” Dan asked and before Phil could even look towards Dan, a snowball crashed into his face. He gasped as the coldness and instantly flinched away from it. He could hear Dan laughing in the background and so on looked back up at Dan who was indeed laughing and pointing at Phil while holding his phone. Phil leaned down and picked up as much snow as he could before launching it in Dan's direction. 

Now it was Dan's turn to gasp as the snow hit his jacket. Soon the two men were gathering as much snow as they could and firing it in each other's direction. A full blown snowball fight had now broken out between the two of them and Phil was loving every minute of it. 

Suddenly Phil threw a snowball at Dan who attempted to dodge it but ended up slipping on a patch of ice and falling down onto the hard floor of their balcony. Phil gasped and instantly walked over to Dan. “Are you okay Dan?” He asked, offering his hand to help Dan up. 

Really Phil should have seen it coming because it wasn't too long before Dan took Phil's hand and pulled Phil down to be on top of him. Phil looked up at Dan's eyes and the two of them just laid for a bit out in the cold. 

“Hi there,” Dan mumbled. Phil could feel the heat rising on his face as he stood up, pulling Dan with him as he did. 

They were both drenched and freezing cold. But their hearts had never been as full.


	5. Chapter 5

Dan looked in the mirror and just sighed at his appearance. He knew money was tight but was he really about to do this. Dressed head to toe in a festive elf costume in the changing rooms of a packed shopping center was not how he planned on spending his December weekends. Not at all.

But his student loan could only reach so far and he knew that if he wanted to get his family some nice presents for Christmas than this was going to have to do really. He couldn't find anywhere that was temporary or that would give him a job. After all, what shop wanted to hire someone who had selling an axe to a 7 year old on their CV? So when Dan had seen the advert for seasonal 'actors' he jumped at the chance to try out. Of course he didn't realise that the seasonal part meant he would be dressing as an elf and working with kids all weekend.

So Dan finally put on a smiling happy face and adjusted his hat on top of his brown hair before walking out of the dressing room and getting into place. He just had to think of it as an acting piece like the ones he did in high school. He was just putting on a show for a lot of small children.

And once he got started, it wasn't actually too bad. He got to talk to a bunch of cute toddlers who were all way too hyper on sugar and the idea that they would soon be meeting Santa. Or a fake Santa but they were too small and innocent to know the truth right now. 

It was when Dan got his lunch break and ripped off his elf hat that he noticed someone dressed in very similar clothing sitting in the food court. He was young and had black hair that was surprisingly styled very similar to Dan's own hair. Dan smiled at him and the guy happily waved Dan over to come and sit by him.

"If we sit together, we'll look less weird," The man spoke in a Northern accent which didn't surprise Dan in the slightest. After all, it was his accent that didn't fit in. You didn't meet many people in Manchester who spoke like Winnie The Pooh.

"That's very true. I'm Dan," Dan said, introducing himself to the man who quickly smiled and ate some of his food before speaking, his smile never leaving his face.

"I'm Phil. And I don't really know why I'm here. Guess the call for cash was just too good for me," Phil spoke clearly before taking another bite out of his sandwich. Dan nodded. He was agreeing with that.

"Yep. Student loans just don't cut it when you spent your first two months drinking every night," Dan said with a small laugh. Phil clearly found it funny too as he laughed loudly, making a few people turn to the two men and stare at them.

"I graduated back in August but I know the feeling. What degree are you doing?" He asked. Dan had never really met someone who sounded this interested in his life.

"Law," Dan groaned. Phil looked at him with a confused expression on his face.

"Do you not like it? Law sounds pretty boring, to be honest," Phil said as he studied Dan. Dan felt Phil's eyes staring into his soul and it didn't feel uncomfortable. In fact, it made Dan feel happy. He was completely comfortable in this situation which was a large surprise to him.

And it continued every weekend. 2 weeks after Dan started his job, Phil invited him for coffee after work. They sat in a nearby Starbucks and that's when Phil told Dan all about YouTube.

"So you make videos and people watch them?" Dan asked, sounding surprised. Sure he had watched many people on YouTube but had never actually met someone who made those videos until now. Phil nodded happily and pulled up his channel. 

"It's still growing. I only have about 10000 subscribers but I'm hoping to grow it. Plus it's just fun to do you know. Like all the random ideas that float around in my head can be used in a video and yeah some of them are really weird but people seem to like the weirdness. You should make your own channel. Tell people about your life. You're really funny Dan and I think that Youtube could be the perfect escape for when your degree is getting to you," Phil suggested. And it was the best suggestion that Phil had ever made.

Years from then, Dan waved off a goodbye to the camera. "And with that story of How I was an Elf. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all of you. Bye," He said with a grin and then leaned up to turn the camera off before looking at the man behind the camera. "You didn't have to stand there for the whole video you know?" He smiled up at Phil who just shrugged and then attacked Dan with kisses on the bed. 

"You'll always be my little elf," Phil said with a small grin. Dan rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that a small winter job had given him his entire world. But it had.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yeah that's perfect there," Phil said to the delivery man as he placed the tree in their living room. Dan was next to him smiling. The man wished them as goodnight before he left their apartment. "He was nice," Phil commented, looking over at his boyfriend who nodded. 

Dan then grabbed some scissors from their coffee table. "Should we free our Christmas child?" He asked with a smile. Phil nodded and looked at him as Dan started to cut the netting off the tree. Phil smiled as the tree's branches fell down in front of him. He had decided to wait for a bit and let Dan do the cutting, even if Dan was left handed and making a mess.

"Just try and keep some of the tree attached yeah babe?" Phil said jokingly. Dan turned to him and his eyebrow raised. Dan then shook his head and cut off the rest of the netting. Dan smiled once he was finished and then walked over to Phil so they could both observe it and make sure it was in the pot perfectly.

"Looks good. We should let it hang tonight and then decorate it tomorrow at some point. Does that sound good Philip?" Dan asked, looking up at Phil's face who nodded and smiled over at him.

"Sounds perfect Daniel. Shall we have some dinner and then head to bed, my dear?" Phil asked in a posh voice which made Dan laugh and then playfully hit him in the shoulder.

It was later in bed when Dan turned to face Phil. In the darkness, Phil couldn't exactly see the expression on Dan's face but he could feel how close Dan was to him.

"Are we going to fight over the decorations tomorrow? " Dan asked. Phil could practically hear him smiling and let out a small laugh. He nodded but then realising that Dan probably couldn't see him, he decided to speak.

"Yeah, that's definitely going to happen. Dan when have we ever put our tree up and not had a fight over something Whether it's the lights or the actual decorations, We're gonna fight tomorrow. But we'll get over it. It's the most magical time of the year and we're gonna work through it and our tree will look amazing," Phil reassured, running his hand through Dan's curly hair.

"You're doing it wrong Phil. You're supposed to start the lights from the top of the tree. Then the wire of it will be at the bottom when we're done and it will be easier to actually plug into the wall," Dan complained the next day while walking over to Phil who had started to wrap the lights around the tree, apparently wrong.

"Well, it's been a year since we've done this. I forgot Danny. Can you hold this bunch? I told you we should have wrapped our lights around something last year. They're all tangled together," Phil also complained as Dan walked to hold the lights as Phil had asked. 

It took way longer than they thought it would but eventually after much untangling and walking around the tree, the boys both collapsed onto the couch and looked at each other. "Whose ideas was it to get a tee that big and so many lights. I need a drink. Want a coffee?" Dan asked Phil as he stood to to go and make a drink for the two of them. Phil nodded and looked at their box of ornaments that would be going on the tree. It would be best to get it finished today but after fighting with their lights for the past hour, Phil was tired. 

But then Dan walked into the room, holding two cups containing hot drinks and a pack of biscuits. Dan set down the cups and then leaned down to their box and pulled out a Santa hat and a pair of antlers. He put the hat on his own head and then walked over to Phil with the antlers. Phil smiled fondly up at Dan and let him place the antlers on his head.

After a cup of coffee and way too many biscuits, the two of them had gotten back to actually decorating their tree. They didn't have too many ornaments but they preferred it to hen they would put too many on. It looked nicer to them and each of them had their own special meaning and place. 

Finally after another hour carefully placing their ornaments on the tree, Dan and Phil looked at one another and smiled. With the warm glow of their tree, it looked almost perfect. But there was one thing missing. 

"Do you want to put the star on?" Dan asked Phil who shook his head and let Dan do it. Dan placed it carefully and Phil took a picture as he did. This one wouldn't be for their fans. It would be for them. Maybe he would send it to his mum later. Proof that they actually did it and other than the lights earlier, minor disagreement between them. Dan then took out his phone and took an Instagram of their tree so people could see it. As Dan was editing the picture, Phil came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Dan from behind and watched as Dan hit post.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: dip-and-pip-trash


	7. Chapter 7

Dan looked around the Potions room as Snape stood there looking at the packed Slytherins that definitely didn't fit around the room.

"Because of the Triwizard tournament, a dance will be held on Christmas in the Great Hall. I expect that all of you will behave and not send the name of Slytherin up in smoke. Do you hear me?" Snape sneered at the students who all nodded and mumbled their agreement to their head of house.

A Yule Ball? That got Dan thinking about everything. Surely he would need to invite someone. But who? He wasn't exactly into girls but no one knew that. He thought for a few moments before he felt someone push him to the side. "Move Howell," Draco Malfoy spat at him as he walked past, his two cronies following behind. Dan hated him with a passion but didn't fail to hear the net remark Malfoy spoke. "Don't know how he ever got sorted into Slytherin,"

People laughed and Dan soon ducked out of the room to escape his fellow Slytherins. He didn't understand it either. When he started his first year and got sorted into Slytherin he was shocked. Now in his fourth year, he knew he really didn't belong there and his fellow Slytherins pointed it out almost daily.

He had no friends in Slytherin. In fact, he barely had any friends at all. The only friend he did have was Phil Lester.

Phil was a fifth year Hufflepuff, a year older than Dan. He was social and had quite a few friends. But he was also Dan's best friend. The two were incredibly close and Dan couldn't help but crave for more. Only problem? As far as Dan knew, Phil was straight.

He found him in the library, pouring over a Herbology textbook. Dan threw his bag down on the table which made Phil jump in his seat. Dan just mumbled an apology and then sighed. Phil looked at his best friend and sighed.

"What's wrong? You seem kinda down. Is it Malfoy again? Do you want me to spike his drink with a plant that will hurt him?" Phil said, trying to look tough but Dan knew Phil was more like the sun than anything that would hurt you. He would make empty threats towards Malfoy but then cower if the boy ever came near him. Dan shook his head.

"Have you heard about this ball on Christmas?" Dan said and then Phil smiled. He nodded excitedly which only made Dan feel worse. Great Phil was excited. He probably knew who he would chose and be asking them soon or had already asked.

"Yeah. Who are you going to ask?" Phil asked seeming happy and excited. Dan responded by banging his head down onto the table. When he eventually recovered, he looked up at Phil and shook his head.

"No one. I'm not going. No one would want to come with me and if they did we would just get laughed at by Malfoy and his cronies. There is no point Phil. No person alive is going to want to come with Dan Howell. The reject Slytherin," Dan ranted. It was the truth... Or so he thought.

That was why there was a surprise the next morning when an owl landed in front of Dan at Breakfast. It wouldn't be from his family. They were traveling and only cared enough to drop Dan the key to the family bank vault before he left for school. Inside the letter was something Dan was not expecting.

_Hey Dan. I would really like it if you came to the Yule Ball with me. I understand if you don't want to but if you do, meet me by the kitchens. Can't wait._

And that was all the scroll said. Something seemed familiar to Dan but he shrugged it off. Someone had just asked him to the Yule Ball. Then Dan shook his head. _What an idiot._ Of course this would just be another horrible prank against him. He was an easy target after all.

But as the ball got closer Dan couldn't shake the note away. He was just about to go to the ball by himself when he thought _Fuck it_ and diverted his way to walk to the kitchens. He knew where they were. He and Phil had been sneaking around and gone to visit the elves there one hungry evening. That's when he saw him there.

"Phil?" Dan asked with a gasp. No, surely it wasn't Phil. Phil was into girls. He didn't know if he could forgive Phil for pranking him like this but walked closer. Yet Phil's smile seemed genuine and he looked to be beaming with excitement.

"Dan you actually came here. I was worried you wouldn't but here you are-" He started but Dan cut him off in shock.

"Wait it was you. You want to go to Yule Ball with me. But why. You could probably date most girls in this school and be happy." Dan asked in shock that Phil could seriously want to go with him.

Phil simply flashed Dan a smile, leaned closer to him and mumbled. "Those girls aren't you." Before pressing his lips to Dan's. And with that Dan didn't care. he didn't care about the looks people gave the two of them as they walked into the Great Hall hand in hand. He didn't care about Malfoy or anyone else and their opinions on him. He felt so happy at that moment and nothing was going to take it away from him.


	8. Chapter 8

Dan looked around the markets as he turned to face Phil. The Christmas lights around were making Phil's face glow. He looked so calm and seeing Phil calm made Dan feel just as calm.

They had finally started Christmas shopping despite it being well into December at this point. But hey at least it wasn't Dan doing a last minute Amazon Prime order. That was at least a plus. Suddenly Phil looked over at something and Dan watched as his whole entire face lit up.

"They have an ice skating rink. We should go," Phil said happily. Dan laughed. He wanted to make some kinda comment about how Phil was the most clumsy person that he knew but decided not to. Instead, he just nodded and let Phil walk over to where the ice skating was.

They paid their money and got their shoes. Dan grumbled about how many other people had worn the same shoes before them which made Phil. "Oh well. Sorry, I forgot to bring our ice skates out with me. Because that's totally things that normal people have," Phil chuckled. Dan gave him a playful shove to the side and then they put their shoes on and started making their way towards the actual ice skating rink.

It was an enclosed space and you couldn't take your belongings onto the skating rink with you. Instead, their phones were sitting in their shared backpack in a locker. Phil had the key for it on an armband he was wearing. 

That's why it didn't really surprise Dan when Phil took his hand as soon as they got onto the ice. Sure if a fan saw them right now it would be all over Tumblr the next day. Something in Dan didn't care though. After all, they were being so much more open with their fans now. They were no reason to confirm or deny their relationship status. The people who mattered already knew and that's all that Dan cared about.

Phil seemed to be staring at Dan to make sure he was okay with what he was doing. Dan smiled in his direction and then started skating alongside Phil. Phil grinned as he stumbled around the ice. Neither of them were great at skating at first but they soon got a rhythm and were gliding around on the ice.

It was nice. The whole of December had been nice. It had been calm. Just how the month should be. Dan knew that soon they would be going to their separate family homes for Christmas but they were making the most of their current time with each other. Ice skating being one of the things that loved to do together. And Dan was loving every current moment.

They were now gliding around on the ice, hand in hand and smiling. Dan looked over at Phil who seemed to be in deep concentration at this point. He was probably trying to keep his balance, Dan thought. But Phil looked up at him a bit later and Dan could see the happiness radiating from Phil's face. 

"This is amazing," Phil said as they got off the rink to get some drinks. Ice skating was a work out after all and Dan was in need of some kind of drink. Phil vanished and left Dan sitting at a table. But he soon returned with two hot chocolates. "Didn't think coffee was very appropriate for today," He added as Dan looked at him confused. Phil barely ever drank hot chocolate. Dan just nodded and took a sip of his drink. 

They skating for a bit longer after their drinks but after a bit longer they decided that they wanted to go home and watch some film while they cuddled on their sofa. They returned their shoes and got their own ones back. Phil grabbed their bag and offered to carry it while they walked. 

What Phil didn't expect was Dan's hand to slide into his own as they were walking around the busy streets. "Are you sure?" Phil asked Dan who just shrugged.

"Let's not think about it. No one would give a shit anyway would they?" He asked. People would. He knew that but didn't want to think about it. This type of thing should be normal. He should be able to hold the hand of the man he loved without feeling worried or scared. And he didn't. He felt happiness and love. And wanted to keep feeling it forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: dip-and-pip-trash


	9. Chapter 9

"Please Dan. You never come to parties," Claire pouted as she walked with Dan to the vending machine. "Just this one time. You'll have fun I promise. You'll meet some new people. Maybe even meet Mr Right," She winked. Dan rolled is eyes and looked at her before shaking his head.

Dan had worked at the BBC for two years as a radio presenter. He did entertainment news and was pretty popular with the audiences due to his sharp sense of humour and office banter. He'd met Claire when he started working there and the two had become really close almost instantly. After a year of the pair working together, Claire notices the lack of love in Dan's life and started to try and set him up with a few different girls. A very caring and kind idea. Except for one small detail. 

Dan was gay. 

And after an awkward conversation with Claire, she finally stopped trying to set him up with someone. This was especially helped by the fact that they didn't know any other guys who also liked guys in their department. 

So Dan got a break there but Claire didn't give up so easily. Ever since then, she had invited Dan out to every single night out and work party around. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate what she did for him but Dan wasn't really that type of person.

That was until later that same day. Dan was doing his four hour show as he often did when his laptop stopped playing the videos that he needed to see. It got to the point where Dan was finding it pretty hard to actually get stuff done. He couldn't really use his computer and eventually IT support was called to the studio to take a look at the computer. He also noticed that the video that he streamed live to the BBC website was lagging and so thought it would be something that was happening studiowide. 

Dan had never met the guy who ran the IT side of things. Normally they were positioned a bit away from the actual studio so the signals didn't interfere. But when Dan saw this man,he was instantly shocked. The man had black hair styled into a quiff and was hot. That was all Dan could think about the guy. 

Suddenly the tech problems weren't so bad if he was going to get to spend some time with this guy. He then looked up at Claire who was smirking down at him with glee. She lifted her hand up and did a heart before pointing to the man. Dan just rolled his eyes and carried on with the show, apologising for the technical difficulties and announcing the rest of the show would be audio only. 

When Dan finally signed off and started to play his last song, he walked over to Claire and sighed. “Well that entire show was a disaster,” He said with a pout. Claire just rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder. 

“You couldn't control the computer freaking out. Plus Phil's almost fixed it,” she said and ruffled Dan's curls. So his name was Phil. Fitting for a really cute guy to have a cute name. Dan then nodded and looked at her. He sighed in defeat and then smiled.

“I need a drink. What time does the party start?” He asked and tried to ignore the pure delight that came onto Claire's face as she excitedly told him all the details that he needed to know. She then promised that the party was going to be amazing. 

It wasn't as good as she hyped it up to be. Many people had better things to do and if had been over an hour since Dan had even seen Claire when he decided to go out and get some fresh air. The first thing he noticed when he left was that he wasn't alone. Phil was stood there looking around. He spotted Dan and smiled over at him. 

“Hey you're Dan right. From the entertainment show on the radio?” He asked. Fuck now Dan needed to be professional but somehow couldn't be bothered and nodded. 

“Yeah and I got dragged to this party by my producer. But I haven't seen her for hours and everyone else is super boring,” Dan complained. He hadn't had the best of days and was more than ready to go home. Phil nodded in agreement. 

“ I know the feeling. My manager persuaded me to come out tonight and I'm wishing I stayed at home and played Mario Kart all night,” Phil said, trailing off a bit at the end as if he felt embarrassed. But instead Dan grinned. 

“Me too. Inkling girl will be missing me today. And people might actually be winning,” Dan gloated in Phil's direction. Phil just shook his head.

“You can't be that good. Next time we're in work I'm gonna challenge you to a game and I'm gonna win.” Phil said happily. “Let's head back inside.”

Dan didn't know when or how this was happening. At some point he and Phil had drank way too much of the free alcohol and were now making our in a corridor with Phil pushing Dan against the wall. Each of them hungry for the others lips. Dan didn't want this moment to end but people were leaving and the party was getting quieter and quieter. When Phil did break away, both men were smiling. “"How about that Mario Kart game?” Phil asked. 

It was funny seeing the look on Claire's face when Dan told her he had a boyfriend days later. But Dan was happy and that's all that mattered.


	10. Chapter 10

Things were tense. Really tense. Phil felt like he was walking on eggshells constantly at home. Tour was great for their branding and their careers but one thing it wasn't good for was Dan and Phil's relationship. The two hadn't really had much time together that wasn't working over the past few months. Dan was tired and wanted to spend time with Phil but he couldn't because they were so busy with everything else. 

Phil was glad it was December. It was finally the one time of year where they could relax and because they weren't doing gamingmas it meant that they had a lot more time to spend on them. 

But it was still tense. There had been no real separation between work and alone time and because of that, Phil felt Dan was in ultra work mode. It really was a surprise that the two of them got their Christmas tree done when they did because Dan seemed to not stop working. Phil knew they got a lot of emails but lately it seemed like Dan was running their entire business as well as his own branded stuff. 

Dan has mentioned that he felt himself changing a lot over the past few months and Phil couldn't help feeling like maybe Dan was growing away from him. Maybe he was starting to notice that he didn't need Phil. But Phil still needed him. Eventually he let the thoughts consume him. Phil knew it was stupid but maybe this was all just some anxiety coming through now they weren't as busy. 

Dan still showed affection of course but not as much. Then Phil thought about how maybe it was his fault. Maybe he wasn't showing Dan enough attention. 

So one night while they were relaxing on the sofa, Phil leaned over to cuddle up to Dan with a smile. But Dan was working and pushed Phil says slightly with a ‘not now’. Phil pouted at him and tried to cuddle again. 

“Stop working. Let's cuddle and watch a Christmas film,” Phil tried to persuade but seeing as Dan was as stubborn as he was, Dan just shook his head. 

“Working right now Phil,” Dan mumbled, not even taking his eyes off the laptop screen. Phil rolled his eyes and stood up. If Dan was gonna be like this late at night then he was just going to go to bed. 

“When aren't you?” Phil mumbled. Dan finally looked up at Phil with his eyebrows raised. 

“What do you mean? Just because I'm actually doing my email and work. We can cuddle later. Don't freak Philly. It's fine,” Dan said sounding pretty nonchalant. Phil turned around to face him but as he did, he knocked his arm on their Christmas tree and one of the decorations flew off the tree. It hit the floor and smashed with a loud noise. 

Phil heard Dan staying something but then leaned down to pick up the decoration. Dan appeared next to him. He clearly saw the expression on Phil's face and took the decorations. “It's okay Phil. It was a mistake,” Dan spoke softly. “You look tired. You should head to bed.” 

But Phil shook his head. “I-” he started before nodding his head. “Goodnight,” he mumbled and walked towards their bedroom at first. Then he sighed and changed his mind and walked instead go the Amazingphil bedroom and laid there. It didn't feel warm and cozy like their bedroom did. But Phil was very close to falling asleep. Until the bedroom door opened. 

Phil opened his eyes slightly and saw Dan stood in the doorway of the room with an unreadable expression on his face. He walked in and instantly walked over to Phil. “Why are you sleeping here?” He asked softly. Dan thought about what he'd done but couldn't think of anything. Sure he'd worked harder but Phil looked upset. Phil looked at him and shrugged. Dan sighed. And nodded “Well why don't you come back to our room?” He asked. 

“Because I'm scared,” Phil mumbled barely above a whisper but Dan had heard him. 

“Why are you scared?” Dan asked. He too was barely speaking above a whisper. Suddenly Phil felt silly and turned away from Dan. He didn't want to see Dan's face. 

“Scared that I'm not good enough and you're finally realising this. We've been different since we got home. I miss how we used to be,” Phil said, all while trying not to cry at how pathetic he sounded. 

Dan didn't say anything at first. He moved around to the other side of the bed and looked at Phil. He got onto the bed and wrapped an arm around Phil and kissed his lips. They stayed like that for a bit. Dan wiped Phil's eyes because of course as soon as he saw Dan again he started crying. 

“I'm sorry. I've been so caught up with all our work and getting stuff done that I guess I've neglected our relationship a little bit. I'm sorry if I made you feel not good enough. Phil you're my entire world and I love you so much. I never want you to feel like that ever again,” Dan said. Phil nodded as Dan kissed his forehead again. “How about we go to our room where the bed is more comfortable and watch something together. All yours now. We'll work on better work life balance and I'm gonna treat you like a King,” Dan vowed. Phil liked the idea of that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is day 11 but it's being posted on the 12th due to not having any time. Another coming very soon

Dan grabbed his bag and made sure that he had packed everything. All his chargers, his laptop and his phone were packed and ready. 

Because Dan was going to the Isle of man for a few days before he would go see his family (and Colin of course). It was what he did last year and it really worked well for Dan because he could spend some time with Phil’s family and then go home and spend time with his own too.

Dan really loved spending time with the Lester’s. The fact that they were all so much like Phil and also welcomed Dan with open arms all those years ago. He was happy to know that he was pretty much a part of their family now, despite the fact he and Phil weren’t married (yet)

He loved his own family of course. He couldn’t wait to talk to his brother about how university was going or bug him to give him more vegan recipes. Dan really didn’t understand why people in the phandom seemed to think that they weren’t close. Dan texted his family quite often, especially his brother now that Dan was eating more healthier and trying out more Vegan food. Yes most of his texts to his brother were about food but Dan was like that with everyone.

“Ready?” He heard Phil’s voice next to him and nodded. He took one final minute to check to triple check that he had everything. 

“I’m pretty sure I do. If not, I guess I can use yours or just buy another if possible. We share everything else, might as well just pack for one next time,” Dan joked. Phil nodded and smiled but then a pout came onto his face.

“That wouldn’t work because you’re leaving me. I hate these separate Christmas days,” Phil said sounding a little sad but all it took was a peak on the lips from Dan and he was smiling again. Dan then smiled over at him.

“Next year we’ll have Christmas here. Just you and me. If the family want to come they can come to us,” Dan smiled, bumping their shoulders. But Phil shook his head.

“Not here. The new house,” He was definitely smiling now as Dan nodded. The two of them had been planning on buying a house for years but had finally decided that 2019 was the year when they would be buying their new home. Or at least put in a lot of effort to try and find it. Their forever home at last.

The flight was short and sweet and the two men spent most of the time while flying playing Mario Kart. Phil’s parents were coming to meet them at the airport and drive them to the family house. Dan was thankful. He couldn’t wait to see them considering he hadn’t seen them since they had visited the boys while on tour. Phil had visited but they had been super busy at that time so Dan offered to stay at home and let Phil go see his family.

It was warm. That was the only way Dan could describe the Lester family home. Martyn was already teasing Phil about something while Dan and Cornelia sat on the sofas and watched their boyfriends being silly. Kath and Nigel were in the kitchen cooking dinner together and Dan simply felt content. He had even pulled his phone out to update his Instagram followers that he was up north with Phil, something he avoided last year. But this year was different. Very different. 

Their first night was spent catching up with Phil’s parents about how everything had been going. They saw Martyn and Cornelia quite often so didn’t really need to catch up with them but Dan hadn’t seen Phil’s parents since tour and he honestly had missed them.

But it was the next night that Dan felt the warmest at the end of. Phil, Martyn and Cornelia had gone out to buy a few things to have after dinner as a dessert but Dan had offered to stay and help with the cooking of their actual dinner. It was when he, Nigel and Kath were stood in the kitchen that Dan just blurted it out. 

“I want to ask Phil to marry me,” He said, looking down at the floor because he didn’t want to see the reactions. But no less than 30 seconds later, Kath was hugging him and Nigel was patting his shoulder. Both of them giving him their blessings before quickly breaking apart as the others walked in. Phil instantly walked over to Dan and placed a kiss on his head.

“Hey, how were things?” Phil asked softly. Dan just smiled mumbled his reply so only Phil could hear.

“Perfect.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight mention of sex included in this chapter. If it makes you uncomfortable please skip it

“Popcorn freshly popped here we are Sir,” Phil smiled as he placed a large bowl of microwave in between himself and Dan. Dan smiled as he scrolled through the choices of films that they could watch together. 

“How about Elf?” Dan asked with a smile on his face. Phil just nodded and let his head rest down on Dan's shoulder. He had a weird feeling that he was going to fall asleep very soon and wasn't even entirely sure why. He had woken at 10am that day and it wasn't even 9pm yet. He should not be feeling tired but it was something about the fact that the fire was lit and he felt warm and cosy which made Phil want to sleep. 

And that was exactly what he did. He woke up hearing a soft chew noise slightly above him and realised that he and Dan were now laid down with Phil on top of Dan. Dan was funnily enough also balancing the popcorn on Phil's back. Something Phil did not realise as he jumped up to go to the bathroom and heard Dan gasped and then a bang as their bowl hit the floor, emptying all contents. Thankfully the bowl was plastic and not glass otherwise it would have been a different story. 

“Philllll,” Dan whined as he looked at the popcorn all over the floor. He paused the film and that was when Phil realised that he'd slept for over an hour. Dan mumbled something about Phil being a huge klutz which they both then laughed at. Phil then applied and rushed to the bathroom. It surprised Phil when he returned and saw that Dan had already cleaned up the popcorn disaster and filled their water bottles up and placed them on the table. 

“You ready to continue the film?” Dan asked as Phil laid back down over him. Phil nodded and looked up at Dan. They resumed the film and watched it until the very end. 

Once once film had finished they started another. Phil walked to go and get some more snacks but made Dan promise not to balance them on his back if he fell asleep. Instead the two shared the crisps while they watched another Christmas film. At some point, Phil didn't really remember when, Dan threw a blanket over the both of them. It was warm and soft. Phil couldn't help almost feel drunk with contenders. Today was perfect. Just him and Dan and the rest of the world gone. 

The film soon grew boring and instead Phil looked up at Dan's face to study his features. Dan's brown eyes seemed a warmer tone of brown tonight. It was probably just the heat of the room and the warmth that was making him feel that way. 

“You're beautiful,” Phil commented which caused Dan's cheeks to turn redder and redder. Dan ran a hand through Phil's hair as Phil leaned up to push their lips together. It started slow, much like the rest off their evening. But soon progressed to more than just kissing. 

The sex was slow as well. It was soft and slow and full of love. It left them both tired but thankful they had each other by their sides. Dan smiled over at Phil who was now sound asleep in their bed and leaned over to cuddle up to him feeling extremely well loved indeed


	13. Chapter 13

Phil heard the 7 knocks. Three at once, then two, then one and finally another. A sign that Dan was finally back. Phil quickly unlocked the door and let the other man shuffle through the door before instantly closing it and locking it. “Did you manage to get something?” Phil asked. It had been at least two days since either of them had eaten and that was some bread Phil had stolen from a nearby bakery’s bins.

Phil sighed with relief when Dan pulled a plastic bag out of his backpack. “Managed to grab it from a cart while the person wasn’t looking. Hopefully something nice,” Dan said and then looked at Phil who seemed shocked.

“How did they not see you?” He asked sounding very surprised. Dan sighed, he really didn’t want to tell Phil.

The truth was that they’d been in hiding for what seemed like forever but was just a few short months. The government had been taken over and new rulers were in power. People like Dan and Phil had been killed so the two of them ran. They managed to find small places and move often. The place that they’d been staying in now used to belong to Dan’s grandmother. It was set back in the country and somewhere they knew they could stay for a while. But things weren’t safe here either. They weren’t anywhere. Dan and Phil knew they were on a hit list. People to be returned to the government, dead. So going anywhere was a risk. They couldn’t shop or use their bank accounts. The bad people would find them.

“Phil…. It’s Christmas Eve,” Dan finally said after thinking about talking. He didn’t want to look up at Phil so instead unpacked the shopping bag. It was mainly tins of food which was great for Dan and Phil. Tins lasted longer.

“Oh…” Phil trailed off. “God Christmas was the happiest time of the year before everything happened,” He said sadly as he fell down onto the sofa, he looked defeated and tired. Both of them were. It was very hard to sleep when the government soldiers could come to kill you at any moment.

That’s when an idea popped into Dan’s head. “Why don’t you go take a bath while I make us some food?” He suggested, kissing Phil on the head. Phil nodded and decided that was a good idea. He walked up the stairs and got in a long bath.

And an hour later, Phil was sat on their bed when Dan called him down for dinner. As soon as Phil walked down the stairs, he gasped. Dan had put some fairy lights around a plant and there were paper snowflakes on the walls. Dan grinned as he saw Phil’s face light up. There was no greater day than seeing Phil smile so wide for the first time in months. 

“Dan this is amazing,” Phil said as he sat down on the sofa to eat his dinner. They ate pretty quietly and then spent some time cuddling on the sofa. Phil felt like nothing was wrong with the world. It was just him and Dan.

“When this is all over, I want to stay here. We can adopt a dog and start our channels again. Maybe even build onto this house and have some children. We’ll give them the happiest life,” Phil said, clearly picturing his idea in his head. Dan smiled at it. It was a great idea and he couldn’t wait until the day when they would be free again. Hopefully, it was sometime soon but they had no way of knowing.

They decided to call it an early night. The happiness tonight had made them both feel warm and sleepy. Phil was cuddled to Dan as they messed around, acting like teenagers with giggles. Eventually, the two embraced each other and fell asleep contently. 

Christmas Day. 6:45 am. Dan and Phil awoke to their front door being blasted open. The two tried to react but gunshots were heard after. 

“Hey boss. Howell and Lester have been found and destroyed. Merry Christmas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked writing this drabble and might write a full fic based off it. Let me know.


	14. Chapter 14

“You know what we should do? Do another festive day in the life video.” Dan said to Phil one evening when they were sat in bed. Phil nodded and looked over at his boyfriend. 

“Yeah we could. But what would we do? The tree is already up we can’t put it up during the video,” Phil said to which Dan nodded. It was a valid point but Dan knew that they would think of something they could do. “We’ll have to leave the house,” Phil then joked to which Dan nodded.

The two men didn't really talk much about them maybe vlogging until a few weeks later. Now half way through December Dan wanted to do some more festive things. He wanted to go see more of London while it was festive and colourful and have just a cute day with Phil. 

So he proposed his idea to Phil who agreed and the next day they started the vlog in their lounge. Phil introduced them very cheerily and then the two started to eat their breakfast. Dan was having oatmeal and berries where as Phil decided that he would have some cereal instead. 

They showed their breakfast before eating their food in a comfortable silence before deciding to get dresses and start getting ready to leave for the day. Much like their previous videos, Phil was planning on getting some Christmas presents today for his various friends and family. Of course those wouldn't be shown on the vlog so the people didn't see them but Phil told the viewers what would be happening. 

They then moved into actual London. They both showed their oyster cards that had changed over the years and got on the tube. Dan joked around telling Phil to lick his hand again just to throw an old reference in there just to mess with their viewers 

“ So Philip the great and powerful, where are we going firstly today?” Dan asked as he was pointing the camera close enough. Phil was literally almost holding hands with Dan as he smiled. 

“Well i thought we could head to HMV first and see if we can find our dvd because we haven't actually seen it on shelves yet,” Phil said to the camera. Dan nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah that would be so cool. We finally get to see our child out in the open,” Dan joked to Phil as the two of them started to make their way to HMV. 

Once they saw their dvd and vlogged a bit about how crazy it was that they made that dvd, Phil needed to go get his mum some gifts for when he would be going to see his family. Phil managed to pick up a few things for his mum which he kept hidden from the camera though Dan did vlog about how Phil had bought gifts. 

After they had done some Christmas shopping they wondered into a market to try and find something for lunch. They bought their food and then sat together and ate it. Phil chose to vlog Dan eating who instantly got flustered and almost dropped all his food all over. 

They did some more shopping before walking over to the market again now that it was dark. While dark the markets look totally different. The lights were shining brightly and it looked amazing. Dan pulled out his phone and decided he wanted to take a selfie with Phil and so they did. Phil knew by the look on Dan's face that the picture was just for them. 

They got some cups of mulled wine and then talked about how long it had been since they last did stuff like this. Dan talked about their last vlog at Christmas and how they had changed so much since then and it was almost like they were totally different people. It was at that point that Dan also decided to end their vlog. He did so stating that when they got home they would just be watching some films and working so it would be boring. 

Phil knew the truth. Dan wanted a cuddle and some Phil time alone and Phil was more than happy to give it to him.


	15. Chapter 15

Dan honestly couldn't believe how this was happening. When he and Phil would normally be preparing for a flight to the Isle of Man, instead they were preparing for a train journey to Wokingham to spend time with Dan's family before Christmas.

Dan was happy his family had thought to invite Phil along with Dan and even though Phil would be heading to the Isle of Man on Christmas Eve anyway, Dan was happy to be going back to his family home with Phil.

And of course see Colin the dog, even after the horror of last Christmas with the cake. Dan missed his family and despite seeing his mum fairly often when she worked in London, it had been a while since he saw the rest of his family especially with everyone together. When Dan has visited before his brother was travelling and Dan missed seeing Adrian by a few days. The two texted but it would be really nice to see him in person. 

So Dan had been excited to go home. And then his mum had asked one day if Phil would like to come to Reading for a bit before Christmas as it was something they had never done before. They agreed almost instantly and Phil told his own mother that Dan would come up north after Christmas and spend the start of the new year with the Lester's. 

But as they got on the train and started to zoom towards Reading, Dan started to feel nervous. What if extended family didn't like Phil? What if Phil was allergic to Colin? Colin had been around before But Phil had never really spent more than a day with Dan's family and dog. Now they were going to be together for three days and surrounded by many people. 

But Dan had nothing to worry about to begin with. His mum met them at the train station and gave them both a big hug before ushering them to the car. On the way from Reading to try it home in Wokingham, she talked about their dvd and how she had watched it in full and was very proud of her boy. 

They got to the Howell residence and almost instantly, Colin jumped at Dan who gladly stroked the dog. Colin then spotted Phil and bounced over to Phil, expecting cuddles which Phil kindly gave him. Phil was in his element as Dan took his shoes off and greeted his dad with a hug. Adrian hadn't arrived home from uni yet but was due home later in the day. 

Dan and Phil spent a good bit of time in Dan's old bedroom putting their bags away. Phil commented on how the room looked amazing since Dan's parents had decorated it into a spare room. Dan liked it too. The old room had pretty cringey memories and Dan appreciated the fact that the horrible brown walls had now been replaced with soft grey ones. He did a quick Instagram story while Phil was in the bathroom about it. They decided that much like last year they wanted to keep it on the down low. Just this time they had no Cornelia here to film Dan while out. 

Dan's brother arrived while Dan and Phil were arguing about which flavour of starburst were better. It was a stupid petty fight that neither of them would have won or lost but it was cute nonetheless. Dan felt warmth in the family home and it reminded him that he really needed to visit his parents more often. Especially with Phil.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are coming really slow and late but I still want to get the 24 days done.

Dan smiled as he looked at the messages on his phone. An appointment had been made and Dan was beyond excited. He was going to be viewing a litter of puppies one of their friends. Funnily enough, his friend had a corgi’s which worked perfectly for Dan. He knew how much Phil had wanted one for the longest time and if this was right, Dan would soon be surprising Phil with a puppy. 

They had talked about it for so long and every time and this viewing was actually Phil's idea. Phil would be going with Dan but Dan had it all planned out. Even if it went well, Dan would be telling Phil that he didn't think he was ready. Then he would surprise Phil. As long as Phil liked the dog this would go well. 

Dan was so glad they had moved out of London and bought a home together. They now had a car and things were a lot easier. Things had slowed down but they were loving their life. Their YouTube channels were still doing fairly well and their many companies were also bringing in a good income. 

As soon as they met the puppy, Dan knew that he would be a perfect fit. He was energetic and bounced across the room but also calmed down when Dan and Phil sat down. He laid across Phil's feet as Phil stared in awe over the small ball of fluff. 

It was when they got home that Dan's plan got into action. Phil was beaming with excitement as he ran around the house while they cooked dinner. 

“So when should we pick him up?” Phil said and then looked at Dan's face who was deep in thought. 

“I don't know Phil. Are we ready for him? A dog is a lot of responsibility and I'm just not sure we're ready,” he said but instantly felt his heart fall seeing Phil's expression. So he quickly changed his mind. “Let's ask him to hold the pup until new years and we can make our decision then. How does that sound?” Dan said with a smile. Phil nodded with a smile. 

Dan then went out the next day to a pet shop. He bought a few basic things that they could give the puppy until they could go to the shops again. Dan then hid the puppy presents in the car until they were needed. 

On Christmas morning, Dan slid out of bed at 6am ready to do his plan. He got dressed into some joggers and a top before leaving the house as quietly as possible. He really didn't want to wake Phil up as he left. Phil would wonder why Dan left him all alone on Christmas. 

Dan collected their tiny puppy in his tiny little cage and started to drive home. He drove slow but got home at around 7am. He crept back into the house with the small dog. 

When he was in their room, he smiled seeing that Phil was still fast asleep in their bed and so carefully took the small dog out of his cage and placed him down on the bed. He then smiled as the pup bounced to Phil and started to lick Phil's face. 

Phil instantly started to stir but it wasn't until the puppy let out a small yap that his eyes bolted open and he looked at the small dog before gasping and looking at Dan with wide eyes. 

“Merry Christmas Philly.”


	17. Chapter 17

Dan rushed back home after being out all day long. It hadn’t helped that his phone had also died while he was on his travels throughout the day so he couldn’t and haded talked to Phil all day. Curse him for not charging his phone last night while he was in bed. 

His mum had asked him to help her out and of course as he was in his gap year, he didn’t have much to do except work his part time job so he had no choice but to help her out. Plus it was Christmas Eve and he had just gotten back from being with Phil for a week so she said he could last some time without talking to his boyfriend. 

However she also didn’t argue when he dropped the bags and rushed out the room. She even threw in a quick “Say hi to Phil from me,” As Dan bolted up to the stairs. He knew that later she would lecture him about the fact he didn’t help her put the stuff away but overall she was fairly easy going, especially when it came to Phil.

Dan instantly plugged his phone into it’s charger and grabbed his laptop. He turned his phone on and grinned as he saw a few messages from Phil. He was mostly talking about the fun things the Lesters were getting up to while also asking Dan what he had been up to. Dan texted him back and explained his situation to Phil who quickly texted back joking around about how he was planning on sending a search party out. Dan promised him that he would make up for it with Skype after dinner which Phil happily agreed to.

Dinner was fun. Dan’s grandma had come down to have dinner with the family. It was nice talking to her as Dan had been away up in Manchester for a bit. He talked to her about what he had been up to. Overall pleasant conversation. Then his mum suggested that they play some board games like they usually did on Christmas Eve. Dan didn’t want to but it was their family tradition so he texted Phil saying that he would be on in a few hours.

By 9pm, most of the family were getting pretty tired and Dan looked up at his mum. “Can I go upstairs?” He asked. She nodded and wished him goodnight with a kiss on the cheek. She knew that he wasn’t going to sleep and as he was leaving made a comment about now being too loud on Skype so Dan knew that she could read him like a book.

Hours later, Dan stifled a laugh as Phil had talked about a funny woman. It was crazy how the two hadn’t known each other for too and been officially together for a lot less but Dan was completely smitten by the man. He’d been nervous but Phil had proved so far that they could make it work.

“I decided on a university. I applied to a few but I have one in mind a bit more,” Dan said, changing the subject again. Phil smiled on the screen and nodded, ushering Dan to go on. “I think I want to do law at the University of Manchester, “ Dan said. Phil looked up at him and beamed as Dan spoke. 

“Are you serious Dan? We're going to see each other so much more. It'll be easy for us to film videos together and also I of course won't mind you coming over a lot more often,” Phil said excitedly. Dan was nervous about the law degree but thought he could do it. 

As Dan heard the clock strike midnight and Christmas day began, Dan didn't need to listen for Santa. He had everything he needed on the screen in front of him


	18. Chapter 18

Dan looked around while day on the Lester's family sofa. They were about to go out for dinner and Dan knew that tonight was the night. Tonight he would be proposing to Phil while they were out. 

He wasn't sure if it was a good idea really. He knew how socially anxious Phil was and so wasn't sure if he would actually go through with it. He definitely didn't want to make Phil feel uncomfortable but he really wanted to do this tonight. 

Yes he was leaving to go to Reading to spend time with his family but he hopes he would be leaving with Phil as his fiance not just his boyfriend. It would be the perfect way to end 2018. 

So Dan got dressed up in a nice shirt that went well with his black jeans. It was a somewhat nice place they were going to but Dan didn't want to overseas considering everyone else was wearing similar clothes. Now was not the time to break out the silvery glitter jackets, though that would make it a bit less forgettable. 

Dan smiled at the restaurant. It was really nice place and Dan's social problems went away when Kath announced that she had actually booked them a private room to have their dinner in. Dan was super thankful even though she didn't know he was going to propose. 

The dinner went amazing but Dan was quiet. Phil had picked up on it and looked worried about the whole situation. Dan quickly reassured him that he was fine, that he was just deep in thought. 

“Don't over think babe. It's gonna be okay,” Phil said before excusing himself to go the bathroom. At that exact moment, Dan turned to the rest of the family and talked for a little bit. His nerves were calmer but still there. What if Phil said no?

Of course he knew that Phil wouldn't say no to him. Phil loved him and they'd been talking about forever homes and family for a while now. The timing was right but Dan was still nervous. 

The whole dinner passed by and as they were paying, Dan was feeling sick. His nerves had gotten the better of him and he hadn't done it. He regretted it of course but then an idea planned into his head. 

As they got back to the Lester family home, he pulled Phil towards to cold December air. “Can we go for a walk?” He asked. Phil nodded and told his family before taking Dan's hand and walking with him. They walked together for a bit but then Dan stopped them dead.

“You okay?” Phil asked, looking and sounding concerned. Dan looked up at him and smiled. 

“I wrote out how I wanted to do this for months and exactly what I was going to say to you but I can't. Words can't describe how much I really love you and care about you Phil. So I guess what I'm trying to say is…” He started before getting onto one knee and taking the black box out his pocket. He saw the surprise on Phil's face and everything was worth it. “Philip Michael Lester, Will you marry me?” Dan finished off with the biggest smile on his face. 

Phil was crying by the time he nodded his head and spoke out a choked “Yes of course I will.” Nothing could beat this moment. Nothing. 

And when Dan woke up the next morning to his naked fiance shaking him up, he groaned but then Phil spoke. 

“Come on sleepy. We have to open presents before our flight,” Phil said. Dan looked up in confusion. 

“Our flight? I'm the one going home,” Dan mumbled out as Phil planted kisses on his face. 

“I'm coming with you. You think I'm gonna let you go after you proposed to me. Think again Howell,” Phil said with a cheery smile and Dan wouldn't have it any other way.


	19. Chapter 19

Dan placed the tiny stocking on the fireplace along with the other. One representing himself and Phil. One with a paw for their adorable dog. And a final one that was much smaller and didn’t represent anyone just yet. But would in a few short weeks. Or any time right now.

Because they were having a baby. Well not them in person, much to Phil’s dismay. But a bundle of joy that they could call their own child. And they were ready for the arrival of this small person. In fact they were counting down the days until the due date for their baby.

They had chosen to not find out the sex of their child. It wasn’t really important. They had names picked out for the baby no matter the sex. They had chosen the name Bailey for their baby. It was a pretty unisex name. 

Dan smiled at the stockings that were on the fireplace as Phil walked in with their dog, Loki. Dan was still unsure how he agreed to naming their dog Loki but he did. At least Phil didn’t want that as a possible baby name. Phil walked into the living room and smiled at the fireplace where Dan had placed their stockings. He walked over to meet Dan who was stood by the fire. 

“I can’t believe our child is almost due. Just 3 weeks until Jasmine’s due date and we finally get to meet our little human,” Phil said happily which made Dan laugh. Jasmine was their surrogate who had been carrying their child for the past eight months. She was an amazing woman who had three children of her own and wanted to help others who couldn't conceive by themselves. She'd been nothing but amazing and Dan and Phil knew their child would know the amazing woman who brought them into the world.

An arrival that turned out to come sooner rather than later. It was 2 days later and while Dan and Phil were sat on the sofa watching a Christmas film, a loud ring came from Dan's phone. He looked at Phil and showed him that Jasmine was calling them. He answered and instantly put her on loudspeaker. 

“Boys you better get the hell over to this hospital. This child is coming and showing no signs of waiting,” she said to the now shocked parents to be. Dan's face paled as he looked at Phil. They had thought they were ready but now Dan was doubting everything he'd said. 

Turns out when Jasmine told them that the baby was coming fast, she wasn't lying. It was an hour later and Dan and Phil had only been at the hospital for about half an hour but Dan was holding their newborn in his arms. He saw the blue eyes, something that was almost exactly the same shape and colour and Phil's. They'd had a girl but they still remained adamant that it didn't matter. This child would have no stereotypes placed on her. Other than the fact that the child of Dan and Phil was fucking awesome.


	20. Chapter 20

“Just three days Dan. Then we can celebrate Christmas together,” Phil said with a smile But Dan's pout didn't leave his face. Phil had been away for business meetings for over a week now and would return on Christmas eve. He'd left a very needy Dan all home alone. It was fine at first but now Dan was starting to despise the distance between them. He just wanted Phil to be home. 

“But that's three days Phil. I want you home now,” Dan said sadly while stripping his shirt off. Their apartment was way too warm. He saw Phil looking directly at the camera before shaking his head. 

“You can't persuade me with your shirt off Dan. This business trip is really important for my company.” Dan knew Phil was right. This deal could be huge for Phil's video company and although Dan wanted Phil home, he knew that was impossible. The inner sugar baby in Dan knew that all too well. Dan had a job as a YouTuber but his life was mainly funded by his CEO boyfriend.

But of course Dan loved Phil a lot and always wanted him close by. This didn't work very well when Phil had to travel around with work and would often leave Dan alone. This trip was in fact only supposed to last 3 days but it had been extended as someone fell ill and Phil didn't want to revoke back just to go back in a few days. Dan had of course pouted over this but he understood. 

Dan tried to keep himself busy the next day but he just wanted to talk to Phil. Phil had been texting of course but not very often and Dan was bored. He'd edited a video and was debating on making another one seeing as he couldn't think of much that he needed to do. The cleaners were dealing with the house and so he didn't have to do any of that. 

Instead Dan called his mum and spoke to her for a little bit. It was really nice and seeing as he would be spending Christmas day with Phil this year, he promised to come down and see the rest of his family around new year. And by the end of his call, Phil hadn't texted him back just yet so Dan did some other stuff to keep him busy. 

Dan woke up the next day to a knock on the door and flowers being delivered. It was now two days before Christmas and Phil would be returning to him. That's who the flowers were from of course. Dan spent a moment looking at them before taking a picture of them so he could text Phil and say how much he loved them. 

It was later that night when he was texting Phil again. They had been talking for a while when Phil asked a question.

Phil: what do you want for Christmas? I never properly asked  
Dan: all i want for Christmas is you 

As soon as the message sent over there was a knock at the door. Dan walked up, thinking that it would be the dominoes that he had ordered when he opened the door and saw his black haired boyfriend stood there. 

“Look at that. A Christmas miracle,” Phil said cheekily as Dan instantly embraced him tightly before playfully hitting his shoulder. 

“Why didn't you tell me that you was coming home today?” Dan said. He didn't know that he was crying until Phil reached up and wiped a stray tear away from Dan's eye. Later that night, the two of them battled through Dan's dominoes and then cuddled on the sofa. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't do the rest of the days because I fell behind and didn't want to put pressure on myself.


End file.
